The Radici Festival, which aims to promote creativity and artistic interpretation, is an initiative of APS AttivaMente, a cultural association, with the patronage of the Municipality of San Lucido (CS). The initiative is cultural, non-profit, and carried out with the help of volunteers, collaborators, and partners who believe in the purely cultural and social value of the event. The official Festival website is www.radici-festival.it.

Concept

The Radici Festival is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the art of illustration as a powerful means of expression. It is aimed at young people, with the goal of inspiring them through encounters with artists, professionals, and virtuous organizations, in order to encourage the exploration of their creative abilities. The contest invites participants to unleash their creativity through illustration.

Motto

Stop. Breath. Illustrate!

Contest Participants

The contest consists of two distinct categories: "students" and "open". The first category is open to illustrators over 18 who are students. The second category is open to illustrators over 18.

You can apply for only one category!

Access

The initiative is non-profit and access is completely free.

Timeline and Phases

The overall timeline is as follows:

Contest participants may submit their work, as defined by the rules and only within the timeframe set by the start and end of the Contest. Winners will be contacted by the date shown in the timeline, and the final event will take place on the date defined in the timeline. Below is the program of the two main phases:

PHASE I (The contest)

- A contest, divided into two distinct categories, giving participants the opportunity to test themselves against their peers through the artistic interpretation of a theme.

PHASE II (The festival)

- A workshop, attended by, for each category, the authors of the 10 best illustrations produced during PHASE I.

- Talks, open to the public, to inspire participants through examples and enrich the dialogue on the world of illustration and its potential in modern society;

- A collective exhibition, open to the public, of the most representative works of the contest (alternatively it may be held on the official website or the official Instagram account);

- Networking with dedicated spaces for interaction with professionals and virtuous organizations in the sector.

Theme

We live in a very fast time.
We produce, reply, publish, perform.
We are always on point, always ready, always “on time”.

Then, on closer look, we notice a simple truth.
Ideas have their own time.
Projects need time to mature.
Relationships require care.
Bodies follow human rhythms.

And then something strange happens: we slow down.

Not out of laziness or inability.
We slow down because we choose to.
Because some things don’t work when accelerated.
Because not everything needs to be optimized, measured, turned into content.
Because not everything needs to grow fast.

Slowness is not a flaw.
It is not a delay.
It is not a nostalgic escape.

It is a practice.
It is attention.
It is time given rather than time taken away.
It is the courage to stop when it would be easier to move on.

Being slow today means rejecting superficiality.
Allowing ourselves the time to understand, to listen, to make mistakes, to go back.
Accepting that not everything is immediate, efficient, performative.

In relationships, slowness is presence:
staying, truly responding, not treating the other as a notification.

At work, it is depth:
doing things well instead of doing them fast, choosing meaning before results,
the process before output.

In everyday life, it is quiet resistance:
taking time away from constant urgency and giving it back to what matters.

In a world that runs,
we are interested in those who choose to slow down.
Those who observe.
Those who change pace.
Those who take a wrong turn and decide to explore it anyway.

Radici Festival 2026 is an invitation to tell all this.
With an illustration.

The theme is SLOWNESS.
Not as a cliché.
Not as nostalgia.
But as a contemporary choice.
As a rebellious gesture.
As a form of gentle resistance.

Take your time.
Send us a single illustration.
Let it grow the way something alive grows.

References:

[1] In Praise of Slowness

[2] In Praise of Slowness – Carl Honoré – TED

[3] Sergio Mattarella – Festival of Contemporary Thinking

[4] How the Need for Speed Is Threatening Creativity – The Guardian

[5] The Price of Speed – Internazionale

Participation Rules

To ensure the integrity of the festival, it is essential that each submitted work reflects the creativity and originality of its author. Each participant may submit only one work, the result of their own creativity and personal effort. The use of AI for the creation of all or part of the work is prohibited.

Work Requirements

The work must be in a rectangular format of preferably not larger than A3 and can be created with any artistic technique.

If the work is digital, it must be sent in good quality, in JPG or PDF format;

If created by hand, a high-resolution digital scan in JPG or PDF must be submitted.

Submission Rules

To participate in the Illustration Contest, you must send the following to info@radici-festival.it or alternatively to the Instagram account radici.festival.official:

- the name of the category you want to participate in: "students" or "open";

- the illustration (max 5 MB, in one of the following formats: JPG, PDF. The file must be named as title_illustration.file_extension, e.g. roots.jpeg);

- a completed and signed copy of the Declaration of acceptance of the rules: Attachment A (in JPG or PDF, max 1 MB, naming the file title_illustration-surname-attachment_a.pdf, e.g. roots-rossi-attachment_a.pdf);

- a completed and signed copy of the Privacy Notice and Consent Form pursuant to Article 7 of the EU Regulation: Attachment B (JPG or PDF, max 1 MB, naming the file title_illustration_surname-attachment_b.pdf, e.g. roots-rossi-attachment_b.pdf);

- a completed and signed copy of the Liability Waiver: Attachment C (JPG or PDF, max 1 MB, naming the file title_illustration_surname-attachment_c.pdf, e.g. roots-rossi-attachment_c.pdf).

Please follow the naming format as per the example and do not exceed the maximum file size for each attachment. If you encounter problems uploading, you can get assistance by writing an email to info@radici-festival.it or sending us a DM on Instagram.

Prohibited Offensive or Harmful Content

It is strictly forbidden to submit images or files containing offensive, harmful, or damaging content toward individuals, groups, or communities. This includes, but is not limited to:

- Sexual or pornographic images;
- Discriminatory or defamatory content;
- Representations of violence or cruelty;
- Content that violates privacy or third-party intellectual property rights.

It is also mandatory to scan files before sending them to ensure they do not contain viruses, malware, or spyware. In case of violation of the above conditions, the association (and its partners) reserve the right to exclude the participant from the contest and take any necessary legal action.

Deadline and Maximum Number of Entries

Works must be submitted by midnight on the last day indicated in the timeline, according to the instructions specified in these rules under Submission Rules. Please note that upon reaching 150 entries (per category), registrations will be closed.

Jury

The composition of the jury will be announced on the official Festival website. The jury’s decisions are final and binding for all participants. No disputes will be entertained.

Selection and Prize

The jury of experts will select, for each category, the 10 best illustrations. The authors will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive workshop led by a professional, to be announced in this section. The workshop’s subject and duration will be defined by the mentor and will take place during the morning of the Festival.

Participation in the workshop is strictly in person.

The prize award and ceremony are strictly in person.

During the Festival, the winner of the contest will also be announced. The prize for the contest winner will be announced on the website, in this section.

The most representative works among all submissions may be exhibited in a collective exhibition during the Festival or alternatively on the official website or Instagram account of the Festival.

Selection for Workshop Participation and Contest Winner

The jury will freely and at its sole discretion select the authors of the 10 best illustrations in each category.

The jury will freely and at its sole discretion select the winner of the contest for each category. The criteria for evaluation are: originality, coherence, impact, style, and technique.

For each category, the authors of the 10 best illustrations who qualify for the workshop will be contacted by the organizers via email (info@radici-festival.it). Please also check your Spam folder, to make sure your email provider has not misclassified the communication. By midnight the day after notification, authors must confirm their intention to participate in person in the workshop. Confirmation of participation is binding (as defined in the no-show section). If confirmation is not received, the association reserves the right to move down the ranking list to assign all available spots (e.g., if one of the top 10 does not confirm, the 11th will be contacted, and so on).

The winning work of the contest (for each category) will instead be announced during the Festival.

Please note that the AttivaMente association (including its volunteers, collaborators, and partners) will not cover any costs (e.g., travel, hotel stays, or other expenses), nor assume responsibility for any logistical issues related to reaching the event venue. All costs and organizational aspects are the sole responsibility of the participants.

No-show

Participants admitted to the workshop who confirm their in-person attendance but do not show up on the day of the event, without prior communication of a serious and documented reason, will be permanently excluded from future editions of the contest.

Rights of Use

By participating in the contest, each author grants the AttivaMente Association (including its volunteers, collaborators, and partners) the non-exclusive right to use, reproduce, publish, and display the submitted works for promotional, educational, cultural, and social purposes related to the Radici Festival. This includes, by way of example: exhibitions, websites, social media, printed or digital material. Authors maintain ownership and full rights to their works.

Responsibilities

Participants are solely responsible for ensuring the originality of their works and for any violation of third-party rights (copyright, image rights, trademarks, etc.). AttivaMente Association (including its volunteers, collaborators, and partners) declines all responsibility in case of disputes, claims, or damages resulting from the submission or use of the works. In the event of violations, the association reserves the right to exclude the participant and take legal action.

Privacy

Personal data collected during participation in the contest will be processed exclusively for purposes related to the organization and conduct of the contest and Festival, in compliance with EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR). Participants must sign and send the Privacy Consent Form (Annex B) in order to take part in the initiative.

Acceptance of Rules

Participation in the contest implies full and unconditional acceptance of these rules. Failure to comply with the provisions may result in exclusion from the contest.

Final Notes

AttivaMente Association reserves the right to make changes, additions, or updates to these rules at any time if deemed necessary for organizational or cultural reasons. Any changes will be published promptly on the official website (www.radici-festival.it) and will be binding for all participants.

For any questions, clarifications, or support, you can write to info@radici-festival.it or contact us on the Instagram page @radici.festival.official.